Nevada Northern Railway
Durango & Silverton Railroad
Cumbres & Toltec Railroad
Year - 2025
This Tour Is Open -
Tour Type - Photographers Railfan Tour
option 1
$2,595 - All 6 charter trains October 19-26:
Nevada Northern-Durango & Silverton
Cumbres & Toltec
note - Does not include highway
transportation and lodging
$900 - Deposit To Hold Space
option 2
$4,995 - All 6 charter trains October 18-27:
Nevada Northern-Durango & Silverton
Cumbres & Toltec
$2,000 - Deposit To Hold Space
note - Includes highway transportation
and lodging. Tour begins in Denver and
ends in Denver. There is an option to
end this tour
in Reno if you prefer this
over Denver
option 3
$895 - Two day charter on
the Nevada Northern October 19-20.
note - does not Includes highway
transportation and lodging.
$400 - Deposit To Hold Space
option 4
$795 - Two day charter on
the Durango & Silverton October 22-23.
note - Does not include highway
transportation and lodging
$400 - Deposit To Hold Space
option 5
$1,090 - Four days of charters on
the Durango & Silverton and
Cumbres & Toltec
October 22-23 & October 26-27.
note - Does not include highway
transportation and lodging
except for a charter bus on
October 26 Antonito back to Chama and
return to Antonito on October 27.
$600 - Deposit To Hold Space
option 6
$1,690 - Four days of charters on the
Nevada Northern and
Durango & Silverton
October 19-20 and October 22-23.
note - Does not include highway
transportation and lodging
$600 - Deposit To Hold Space
Final Payment Due By - jun 15, 2025
Step Back In Time To Classic Steam Railroading
In
Nevada, Colorado & New Mexico.
Nevada Northern Railway Photo Ore Train
Nevada Norther Railway Photo Freight Train
Photo Freight On The Durango & Silverton.
Photo By Don Atkinson
Charter Photo Train On The Durango & Silverton Railroad At The High Line
Above The Animas River.
Photo By Don Atkinson
We invite you to join us for a grand Steam Spectacular event which will involve the operation of 5 steam locomotives, 8 different train consists on 3 railroads in Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico.
Our grand steam spectacular inclues steam charters on the Nevada Northern, Durango & Silverton and Cumbres & Toltec Railroads. All locomotives and train consists will be lettered for their original railroads, be it Nevada Northern or Rio Grande.
Our full 13 day tour October 15-28 will begin and end in Denver, Colorado. Railfans have the opton to take the full 14 day tour or just join us for the steam charters in Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico. . Additionally you have the option to join us on just your favorite railroad, be it the Nevada Northern, Durango & Silverton or Cumbres & Toltec Railroads. We make it easy for you to choose.
For those taking the full tour we will first visit the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado (Near to Denver) then ride Amtrak's westbound California Zephyr from Denver to Provo, Utah. The next day we will visit and or ride the Heber Valley Railroad which uses diesel power. Then we depart Utah and travel to East Ely, Nevada, home to the famous standard gauge Nevada Northern Railway.
On the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad operated by Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec their charter train will operate Chama, New Mexico to Antonito, Colorado on October and return to Chama on October 26 and return the next day. The Friends are planning on busing passengers back to Chama for lodging on October 26 and the next day return to Antonito to board the train. They will use two steam locomotives both lettered Rio Grande and a freight train consist with all DRGW lettered equipment. Their plan calls for this charter to have about 20 freight cars. At the rear of the train there will be several of the converted freight cars that now have seats for passengers. These cars will blend in with the rest of the freight train. Bringing up the rear will be one or two cabooses. Both days will feature many photo run-bys as time permits as the crew is not allowed to work over 12 hours.
On the Nevada Northern Railway we will have 4 different train consists on October 19-20 using steam locomotive No. 81, a 2-8-0 consolidation built by Baldwin in 1917. The 2nd steam locomotive will be No. 93, a 2-8-0 consilidation built by Alco in 1909. Both days we will be operating our charter train on both the Highline north of town and the Keystone line which runs southwest of Ely.
Each day we will have two different train consists which gives us a lot of historic variety for the photographer. Plenty of photo run-bys will be made on both days. Additionally on October 19 in the morning we will use the railways new Doodlebug railcar that will run ahead of the photo freight. Each photo run-by will feature both the Doodlebug and the steam pulled freight train.
After our two day charter we depart East Ely and head north to Wells, Nevada which is on the mainlines of the former Southern Pacific and Western Pacific Railroads, now operated by Union Pacific. The rest of the day will be spent trackside photographing the many freight trains. A visit will be made at Cobre, Nevada where the Nevada Northern once met the Southern Pacific. We will also spend time along the paried track between Wells and Palisade Canyon which is just west of Carlin, Nevada.
Photo Run-By At The Cascade Trestle With A Mid Train Helper
Photo By Don Atkinson
Union Pacific Freight In Palisade Canyon Of Nevada
After spending several hours in beautiful Palisade Canyon we work our way east back to Utah following the former mainline of the Western Pacific Railroad to Salt Lake City. After enjoying all of the rail action in the Salt Lake City area which is offered by the Utah Transit Authority we continue east to Provo and check out the Utah Railroad's workshops and yards. Then we head for Solider's Summit following the former manline of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Currently we can see trains from Union Pacific, Utah Railroad, Amtrak and BNSF.
As we continue eastbound watching for any rail action we make a stop at Grand Junction to check out the rail yard. Heading south out of Grand Junction we stop at Ridgeway, Colorado to visit the Ridgeway Railroad Museum which has Rio Grande Southern historic rolling stock on display including a famous Galloping Goose railcar. Finally we reach Durango, Colorado in the early evening.
On October 24-25 we join the Durango & Silverton's mixed photo charter operating between Durango and Silverton, Colorado on the first day and return the 2nd day. This train will be pulled by a 3-foot gauge K-36 class 2-8-2 Mikado built by Baldwin and shipped to the Rio Grande Railroad in 1925.
This excursion is a celebration marking 100 years that the K-36 steam locomotives have been in operation. The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad now ownes and operates the Silverton line but the steam locomotive and train will be lettered for the Rio Grande Railroad. Several photo run-bys will be operated each day over this 45 mile railroad. The railroad will also be operating their regular public Silverton Trains on both days and you will be able to photograph the meets between the 100th Anniversary photographers special and the public Silverton trains deep in the Cascade Canyon along the Animas Rivger with the towering Colorado Rockies all around us.
On October 24 this photo excurison will lay over in Silverton. Special discounted hotel rooms are available for all passengers at the famous Grand Imperial Hotel in Silverton which was established in 1883 and is considered the Crown Jewel of Silverton. The Grand Imperial Hotel is like spending a night in a classic antique store. When you step into the lobby you step back in time to the historic 1880's.
The final two steam charters are on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad operated by Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad. Their charter train will operate Chama, New Mexico to Antonito, Colorado on October 26 and return to Chama on October 27. They will use two K-36 2-8-2 narrow gauge steam locomotives both lettered Rio Grande and a freight train consist with all DRGW lettered equipment. Their plan calls for this charter to have about 20 freight cars. At the rear of the train there will be several of the converted freight cars that now have seats for passengers. These cars will blend in with the rest of the freight train. Bringing up the rear will be one or two cabooses. Both days will feature many photo run-bys as time permits as the crew is not allowed to work over 12 hours.
The Friends charter is already totally sold out and in fact all space was gone within a day of making the announcement. But we have 15 seats being held just for our group on both days. The plan will call for half of our group to ride the train one direction while the other half will follow for many spectacular trackside photos using a large 15 passenger van which we will have available. Your luggage will be in your hotel room in Alamosa. This way everyone will get to ride the train and also get many photos trackside from the highway and dirt roads in the Rockies of Colorado and New Mexico.
After the Cumbres & Toltec photo charters our charter motorcoach will head towards Denver but will make a stop to photograph, and if you prefer, ride the Georgetown Loop Railroad at Georgetown, Colorado. Meantime the van will be heading west back to Reno, Nevada so you do have the option to ride in the van if you prefer.
If you choose our highway transportation option with the full tour you need to arrive in Denver, Colorado today. We will transfer you to near-by Golden where we have our hotel rooms for the night.
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Morning visit to the near-by Colorado Railroad Museum. In the afternoon you will have free time to relax or ride Denver's RTD (Regional Transportation District) light rail system. The Golden line is now in full operation and you can ride all the way to Denver Union Station if you like. There are several other lines that you can take a ride on too. 2nd night in Golden.
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Today we take you to Denver Union Station whre you will board Amtrak train No. 5 the westbound California Zephyr which departs 8:48am if on-time. Enjoy 481 miles of spectacular rail travel thru the rugged Colorado Rockies and across the colorful Utah desert arriving in Provo, Utah at 10:02pm. Transfer to our hotel. Our charter motorcoach will go directly to Provo with our luggage and meet us at the Provo train station.
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In the morning our motorcoach will take us from Provo into rugged Provo Canyon deep in the Wasatch Range to the town of Heber City, Utah where we will visit the Heber Valley Railroad. You have the option to ride the excursion train or follow in our motorcoach for photos. After our visit to the Heber Valley Railroad we head west into Nevada to East Ely for lodging.
🍽 breakfast
First day of charter steam on the Nevada Northern Railway. We will run our steam charter trains on the Keystone line and the Hiline towards the old smelter site. We will have two different train consists today and we will use the railroads new Doodlebug railcar to run ahead of our steam charter with the group onboard. Each photo location will feature the Doodlebug and the steam pulled freight train. Plenty of photo run-bys all day. We will also feature photo sessions at the workshops with the three classic diesels which will are the EMD SD-9, Alco RS-2 and Baldwin VO-1000. 2nd night in Ely.
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Nevada Northern's New Doodlebug Railcar. On The First
Day We Will Ride In This Railcar Ahead Of Our Steam Charter
Another full day of steam charter trains on the Nevada Northern Railway with plenty of photo run-bys and two different consists on the Hiline and Keystone lines.
🍽 breakfast
We depart East Ely heading north to Wells, Nevada following the Nevada Northern Railway for part of the way. After lunch in Wells we visit the former Southern Pacific and Western Pacific rail yards before heading east to Cobre, Nevada where the Nevada Northern connected with the Southern Pacific. We should see some Union Pacific trains as we explore the mainline in this area. Once we return to Wells we will follow the former SP/WP paried track to Elko which is now owned and operated by the Union Pacific. Overnight in Elko, Nevada.
🍽 breakfast
Morning hours we will explore the scenic Palisade Canyon which is west of Elko and near Carlin, Nevada. The Humbolt River runs through Palisade Canyon next to the former SP and WP paried track, now both lines are UP. On a busy day up to 25 trains will travel through this rugged and scenic canyon. In the afternoon we head east towards Utah, again watching for UP freight traffic to photograph. Hotel check-in in Salt Lake City late afternoon. Once we get into our hotel you might want to check-out the Utah Transit Authority's Trax light rail system and the Front Runner commuter trains.
🍽 breakfast
After hotel check-out we continue east to Provo where we will visit the Utah Railway's rail yards and workshops. We then enter the Spanish Fork Canyon along the mainline of the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Once the line reaches the top of the canyon then the tracks start the step climb up to famous Solder's Summit on the former Rio Grande Railroad. Now Union Pacific, Utah RR, Amtrak and BNSF uses this line. After reaching the summit we drop down into the Price River Canyon and the highway follows the tracks closely. This line is not very busy even though it is used by four railroads. The only trains that you can really count on is Amtrak's California Zephyr.
We then continue out into the Utah desert to Green River where we will make a stop for lunch. After lunch we continue towards Colorado and on to Grand Junction. A stop will be made to check out the yards as the Utah Railroad operates some trains between Provo and Grand Junction. Also the Rocky Mountaineer now operates through here with their newest passenger train running Denver to Moab. Amtrak's westbound California Zephyr stops here at 4:43pm but we should have already left and headed south in the direction of Durango.
At Ridgeway we will make a stop to visit the Ridgeway Railroad Museum which features Rio Grande Southern equipment including one of the famous Galloping Goose railcars. After departing here we will be in Durango in about two hours. We need to get to bed early as our charter train in the morning departs very early.
🍽 breakfast
This morning we board the Durango & Silverton's K-36 100th anniversary photo charter mixed train departing Durango for the 45 mile trip to Silverton. Our charter photo mixed train will depart at 6:30am and run up to the High Line along the Animas River for some photo run-bys. We then continue north into the Cascade Canyon along the Animas River in the San Juan Mountains. We will continue to stage photo run-bys in the canyon as we progress north towards Silverton. Our train will cross the Animas River five times before reaching Silverton with mountain peaks reaching 14,000 feet all around us. In the afternoon we will again take to the siding deep in the Cascade Canyon to meet the southbound Silverton train. We finally reach the wild west mining town of Silverton and tie up for the night. This special train sold-out within a day after tickets went on sale. The Friends are holding 15 seats just for our group.
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the 7 photos below were taken of the regular silverton train in october. These photos give you a good sample of the spectacular scenery
This morning we will reboard our waiting train at 8:30am which will be sitting in the middle of the street near downtown Silverton. We will stage some photo run-bys in the Silverton Valley before entering the rugged Cascade Canyon for the next series of run-bys. Deep in the Cascade Canyon we will again go into the siding to meet the northbound regular Silverton train. As we make our way southbound along the Animas River we will stage several run-bys including one on the High Bridge over the Animas River. Finally we will stage a couple run-bys on the High Line with the river hundreds of feet below. At the Rockwood Station we go into the siding to allow the Silverton train to run around us. We finally arrive in Durango at 6:30pm. We then get on our charter motorcoach and head for Alamosa and hotel check-in.
🍽 breakfast
A Special Photographers Mixed Train On The Durang & Silverton railroad
Near The Rockwood Station.
Photo By Don Atkinson
Photo Run-By On The Durango And Silverton.
Photo By Don Atkinson
Another Spectacular Photo Run-By On The Durango And Silverton
Deep In The Cascade Canyon.
Photo By Don Atkinson
Early morning departure from our hotel in Alamosa for the 90 minute drive to Chama, New Mexico. Here we board the Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec photo charter which will be a doubleheader with two 2-8-2 K-36 steam locomotives and about 20 freight cars, several converted box cars with seats for passengers and a caboose. Once the train climbs the steep 4% grade to Cumbres Pass at 10,015 feet the helper locomotive will be cut off and run lite to Antonito ahead of the train. As the Friends charter train continues towards Antonito and through the rugged Toltec Gorge plenty of photo run-bys will be made. Arrival in Antonito is scheduled just prior to sunset. Upon arrival in we will board our motorcoach for the short trip back to our hotel in Alamosa. If our final group size is 30 then we will split up the group at Chama. 15 will ride the train to Antonito while the other 15 will ride in a large 15 passenger van and follow the train on the highway for some great trackside photos.
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Cumbres & Toltec Photo Run-By Near Los Pinos
Photo By Don Atkinson
Water Stop And Photo Run-By At The Los Pinos Water Tank
On The Cumbres And Toltec Railroad.
Photo Don Atkinson
We return to Antonito to reboard the Friends waiting train for the return journey to Chama, New Mexico. This morning this charter train will have one 2-8-2 K-36 on the head end and the 2nd K-36 cut into the middle of the train. This is the way the Rio Grande used to run long and heavy freight trains over Cumbres Pass many years ago. Plenty of photo run-bys will be made between Antonito and Cumbres Pass. When the train arrives at the Cumbres Pass Station the mid-train helper will be set out and then run as a light engine down the mountain to Chama. The charter freight train will then follow down to Chama. The 2nd group of 15 will ride the train back to Chama and the first group will ride in the van and get some great trackside photos. Upon arrival in Chama our waiting motorcoach will transport us back to our hotel in Alamosa. Note: For those that want to ride the van to Reno, Nevada we will depart Chama shortly after the train arrives and travel west to Durango for hotel lodging. The next day we will travel from Durango all the way to Reno arriving mid evening of October 28.
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Morning departure from the hotel in Alamosa and we travel north to Georgetown, Colorado and visit the Georgetown Loop Railroad. You can either take photos trackside or ride one of their steam pulled excursion trains if you like. Then departing Georgetown we go directly to Denver and hotel check-in.
🍽 breakfast
TOUR CONDITIONS PRICING - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Tour Pricing:
All tour prices are subject to change without notice, at any time. All prices based on double room occupancy. Those people that use a credit card for payments a 4% conveyance fee will be added to the tour price. We reserve the right to change tour prices if necessary without prior notice.
